Word: congressmen
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...many Americans "out there" who already feel that life inside the Washington Beltway is a world vastly different from their own, the prospect of such big raises right at budget-cutting time is cause for concern, derision, even anger. At their current salary of $89,500 a year, Congressmen already make more than most American wage earners...
While some younger Congressmen with growing families find it hard to maintain homes in both high-priced Washington and their home states, many others are not pinched. At least 1 out of every 3 Senators is a millionaire. Although many newly elected lawmakers arrive relatively impecunious, those who remain in office long enough often become wealthy...
...congressional speaking fees would require new legislation. But if Ronald Reagan includes the raises in his last budget, they will automatically take effect unless Congress votes within 30 days to forgo them. In 1987, when Congressmen got a $12,100 pay raise, the House voted against it -- on the 31st...
Ever since he moved into the White House, Ronald Reagan has complained that Government ethics laws are based on a double standard: while they regulate the activities of former members of the Executive Branch, they do not apply to ex-Congressmen and ex-Senators. Last week, by pocket-vetoing a tough measure that would have restricted lobbying by former federal employees, including members of Congress and their top aides, the President missed his last chance to unhinge the revolving door through which officials turn into lobbyists after leaving the Government...
...Many politicians have come to expect business contributions as their due. Thomas Mann, director of governmental studies at Washington's Brookings Institution, describes PAC contributions and soft-money donations as a "mild form of extortion." Businesses, he argues, are only responding to pressure from politicians. "Congressmen let them know that if they don't play the game -- and it takes money to play -- then someone else will," Mann says. More and more, executives who refuse to become involved in politics via the money route could find it harder to do business...